At Baoyu's house, the dinner table held only a single plate of stir-fried dried tofu with hot peppers and a basin of radish and potato soup.
As the head of the household, Li Dayong sat at the head of the table, picking at the food with his chopsticks in one hand and holding a cup of liquor in the other.
Li Ruhai and Li Xiaoqiao sat on either side of Li Dayong. The siblings ate cautiously, their eyes darting back and forth to sneak glances at Li Dayong and Li Baoyu.
Li Baoyu, sitting on a wooden stool below the kang-style bed, held a large bowl in one hand, using his other to shovel sticky hominy porridge into his mouth with his chopsticks.
When he put his bowl down and reached for the food, the large bowl no longer obscured the clear print of a slap on his face and the swelling at the corner of his mouth.
Just then, Jin Xiaomei came in from the outer room, carrying a bowl of hominy porridge, and sat down next to Li Xiaoqiao.
"Mom, I want to eat meat," Li Xiaoqiao said timidly, putting down her chopsticks. The little girl couldn't understand. It was one thing for them not to have meat on a normal day.
But today, her big brother had carried back a whole sack of meat. Just before dinner, Jin Xiaomei had even laid out all the pieces of wild boar meat all over the floor of the outer room.
So why weren't they eating any?
Jin Xiaomei fished a piece of potato out of the basin and placed it in Li Xiaoqiao's bowl. With her free hand, she moved Li Xiaoqiao's braid from her shoulder to her back. "Honey, Mom will braise some meat for you tomorrow."
"That's right, we'll have a good feast of meat tomorrow," Li Dayong chimed in unexpectedly. "Your brother traded his worthless life for it, after all."
The moment Li Dayong said this, Li Ruhai let out a snort of laughter. He looked at Li Baoyu, intending to tease him, but the moment he turned his head, he met his older brother's unfriendly gaze.
"Ahem..." Li Ruhai gave a light cough, turned back around, and pretended to casually pick at his food as if nothing had happened.
Just then, a fragrant aroma drifted in from outside. Li Xiaoqiao sniffed the air and turned her gaze back to Li Dayong. "Dad, I want to eat meat."
"Tomorrow, we'll eat tomorrow." Compared to how he treated his sons, Li Dayong was much gentler with his young daughter. He patted Li Xiaoqiao's head and said, "Your Brother Zhao is in for a good beating tonight too, so let him have a little more to eat."
「…」
BUBBLE... BUBBLE...
In the large iron wok, boiling water churned with bloody foam. A rich, meaty aroma filled the entire house and wafted out into the yard.
Wang Meilan picked up a pair of chopsticks and speared a large piece of wild boar tenderloin from the wok. She placed it in a nearby basin, then pulled the chopsticks out and set them casually on the stove.
Next, she lifted the lid of the adjacent water vat, used a gourd ladle to scoop out some clean water, and poured it into the basin to rinse the tenderloin.
The already-stewed pork, once rinsed with cold water, was cleaned of the surface scum, and its temperature dropped as well.
Wang Meilan used her hands to tear the meat into small pieces, arranging them on a plate with sliced green peppers.
Next came heating oil in the wok, flash-frying scallions until fragrant...
Stir-fried wild boar tenderloin with chili peppers, braised wild boar ribs, stewed wild boar neck with daikon radish, and a plate of dried tofu rolls with scallions and dipping sauce.
Wang Meilan whipped up four dishes in one go, and she, Zhao Jun, and her two daughters enjoyed a wonderful meal.
After dinner, Zhao Jun helped Wang Meilan clear the bowls and chopsticks, then watched Zhao Hong and Zhao Na do their homework before returning to the west room and lying down on the kang.
He had just lain down when he heard a noise from outside, followed by someone asking, "What's this, braising meat? It smells so good!"
Zhao Jun rolled over and immediately got up from the kang, his eyes filled with vigilance.
He slipped on his shoes, pushed the door open, and went out.
"Finished eating?"
As soon as Zhao Jun stepped outside, a familiar voice from his memories reached his ears.
For many years, this person and this voice had only appeared in his dreams. But compared to his feelings for Wang Meilan, his emotions toward this person were far more complex.
There was the closeness of blood ties, but also a trace of resentment.
"Take it." Zhao Youcai handed Zhao Jun a yellow paper package that was slightly greasy. Then, he took off his coat and headed for the east room.
Zhao Jun followed Zhao Youcai into the east room. His two younger sisters immediately gathered around. Zhao Jun gave the paper package to Zhao Hong, who untied the string, opened the yellow paper, and revealed neat rows of cookies inside.
Zhao Hong and Zhao Na each grabbed a piece and took a bite. Zhao Youcai, having just hung up his coat, walked over, extended his left hand, and used his index finger to pick up the cookie crumbs his younger daughter had dropped, casually popping them into his mouth.
"Dad, you have one too," Zhao Jun said, pushing the opened paper package toward Zhao Youcai.
"I'm a grown man, what do I need to eat these for? You three kids can have them." As he spoke, Zhao Youcai got onto the kang, shuffling his bottom to move further in.
Just then, Wang Meilan came in carrying a plate. Zhao Jun hurried out and returned from the outer room with a liquor bottle and a cup.
"Dad, we've got some serious food today. Have a couple of drinks."
"Heh!" Seeing Zhao Jun acting all solicitous, Zhao Youcai let out a chuckle that didn't reach his eyes. "You punk, did you get me into some kind of trouble again?"
"Hahaha... Dad, what are you talking about?" Zhao Jun laughed heartily, sat down sideways on the kang, and picked up the bottle to pour Zhao Youcai a drink.
Wang Meilan returned with another plate and a bowl, placing them on the table one by one. As she did, she said, "Your eldest son has made something of himself. He went into the mountains and hunted a wild boar."
"Oh? The boy's getting capable, is he?" Zhao Youcai's hand, which was reaching for a scallion to dip in sauce, paused. He gave Zhao Jun a seemingly casual glance, but his expression had already darkened.
"Got some skills now, have you? Daring to steal from other people's boar snares?"
Wang Meilan pushed away the hand Zhao Jun used to offer her a cookie. Ignoring her son's gesture of goodwill, she chimed in, "Who are you looking down on? Your eldest son went into the mountains with dogs and a knife himself."
As soon as Wang Meilan said this, Zhao Jun felt a chill wash over him. He cautiously looked toward his old man.
He saw that Zhao Youcai's face was grim as still water, showing no hint of anger. But sitting there cross-legged, he was as motionless as a statue.
"Dad, I was wrong," Zhao Jun hurriedly admitted, deciding to back down first.
Zhao Youcai said nothing. In an instant, the atmosphere in the room froze. Even the two little girls sensed something was wrong and didn't dare to keep chewing the cookies in their mouths.
The air hung heavy for about ten seconds, then Zhao Youcai suddenly smiled. He picked up the liquor cup from the table and took a large gulp.
It was a local Northeast spirit, pure Kaoliang liquor at fifty-six percent alcohol. The burn made Zhao Youcai's nose twitch. He casually set the cup down and chuckled, "My eldest son has made something of himself, able to hunt a wild boar and all. His old man is going to benefit from this, so I'd better eat up."
With Zhao Youcai's laugh, the atmosphere in the room changed in a flash. The invisible pressure vanished into thin air. Little Zhao Hong, chewing her cookie, beamed with delight. "Dad, the wild boar my brother hunted is so delicious."
"Just eat yours." Annoyed, Zhao Jun took the cookie Wang Meilan had refused and stuffed it directly into Zhao Hong's mouth.
"Mmm, it's good," Zhao Youcai mumbled, chewing on a large mouthful of wild boar meat. He then threw back another gulp of liquor.
After swallowing the meat and liquor in his mouth, he smiled at Zhao Hong and said, "Second daughter, someday, have your brother go into the mountains and hunt a Black Bear for you. That stuff is even tastier, even better than wild boar."
"Okay, okay!" Zhao Hong was even happier to hear that. First, a delicious meal of stewed meat, and now cookies for dessert. In the little girl's eyes, life was simply wonderful.
Zhao Youcai smiled along with her but didn't mention the matter again. While eating and drinking, he began to recount some amusing stories about his coworkers and colleagues at the Forest Farm that day.
Wang Meilan was beside him, sometimes listening, sometimes asking questions, sometimes agreeing.
Zhao Hong and Zhao Na would also frequently jump in or interrupt, telling their parents amusing stories from their own little world.
For a moment, the room was a picture of a perfect, happy family: loving parents, doting daughters, all talking and laughing in a warm, harmonious atmosphere. The feeling of family love was palpable.
And yet, despite all this, Zhao Jun, sitting off to the side, grew increasingly restless.
His two younger sisters were still little; they didn't know. But Zhao Jun knew that his old man had two nicknames in the surrounding villages.
Publicly, the elders and peers who grew up with Zhao Youcai all called him Zhao Ernian, or just Ernian for short.
But behind his back, most people called him Zhao Ergudong.